namaku0, I have set it up and tested it. Unfortunately there is no way to make the on-board video the primary one in the BIOS. Once booted to Windows it can be done, but the BIOS will always show on a PCI graphics card if one is attached.

I didn't realise the Intel Atoms don't have any frequency scaling - the D510 is fixed at 1.66GHz.

With 2.6.33, cpufreq seemed to be able lower speeds but I don't know if that did anything. The cores don't use much power anyway.

Yeah I was a bit miffed by the fact that an Atom processor, based on the mobile line of CPUs, does not offer frequency and voltage scaling. Wish there was a way around this, because the power numbers I was getting from a Zotac D510 board with just a single HDD and picoPSU was around 39W. You know this thing could get even lower if given the chance.

because the power numbers I was getting from a Zotac D510 board with just a single HDD and picoPSU was around 39W.

What? List the specs of the build in more detail. My D510MO based system idles at 15W.

Lucky you! I'm jealous. Well, I measured the AC power of the board with virtually everything disconnected from it (no hard-drive, no optical drive, nothing). Just one stick of DDR2 memory. Well, even that consumes 25W. So it appears your board is just much more efficient. I am using the Zotac NM10-B-E which is actually a DTX board (they also have a mini-ITX version). It is virtually the same with the exception of containing an additional PCI-e slot and having an on-board RAID controller. Certainly that may account for a couple more Watts, but certainly not the 10+ Watts my board is consuming over the Intel board. I would love to get the Intel board, but I really need a PCIe slot.

Many of those features are not supported by the NM10 chipset or the CPU/GPU, so there has to be some additional circuitry on the Zotac board. Zotact makes no mention of it. Basically I don't understand how your Zotac works!

Many of those features are not supported by the NM10 chipset or the CPU/GPU, so there has to be some additional circuitry on the Zotac board. Zotact makes no mention of it. Basically I don't understand how your Zotac works!

Yup, that's the one. Certainly they do have some additional circuitry, perhaps accounting for the disparity. I may return it and opt for the Intel board as long as I can find a standard PCI graphics card with HDMI out.

the flashy Asus D510 board is ... more expensive. Maybe I should buy one and see how passive cooling works with that heatsink.

Well, its price has dropped around here. Here's how the AT5NM10-I compares to the D510MO then:
-bigger, mean-looking heatsink which covers the NM10 chip as well as the CPU
-higher reported CPU temperatures
-much lower reported MB temperatures
-doesn't work too well when positionned horizontally
The problem with interpreting the reported temperatures is that I doubt the sensors are located in equivalent positions and the meaning of the readings is somewhat elusive (to me anyway). In spite of the low MB temperatures reported by the Asus, a lot of components were hot enough to hurt. In horizontal operation (with an open case so that I could touch the electronics), the heasink itself got suspicously hot under load in spite of moderate temperatures being reported (60 C for the CPU).
It's an improvement over the stock D510MO in some respects but I'm not crazy about the thermals of the Asus (with a sample size of 1, mind you). I don't mind it too much that the CPU reports >70C when the D510MO's readings only reach 50C in the same situation. These CPUs are supposed to get hot. But, while the reported MB temperatures are good (in contrast to the D510MO's) my fingers tell me something somewhat different.
If you believe that the hot NM10 chip deserves a heatsink and you don't want to fit one yourself, the Asus board might be a good choice. Just make sure it's going to be positioned vertically.
The above applies to fanless operation obviously.

If you're not in a hurry, wait for the updated boards or at least a review of the new Atom CPUs which have just been officially released. They've got a better GPU and the boards will have digital video output if I'm not mistaken.Alternatively, get Zotac's fanless Zacate board (assuming the included GPU would be sufficent for your needs and decent drivers for your OS exist).

It's a cheap but convenient board one can always find an alternative use for (backup NAS and so on). I wouldn't invest too much in it. Unless no onboard GPU is enough, get another board.

Here's the first board I've seen specs for (not available yet): http://www.norco-group.com/product/Mini ... -6930.htmlAnnouncements and the availability of decent fanless D2700 boards at a decent price are very different things unfortunately. Time will tell.But according to the specs above, a decent digital video resolution seems to be supported, something Intel has not offered with Atoms until now.I don't know if the new GPU will address your other problem with the D510MO however.

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